


Watch the Universe Go By

by dogsinthetardis



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I love her, Oh my God Thirteen is so gay, Original Plot, a little angsty, he's mentioned - Freeform, metacrisis is dead, minor character death?, sort of metacrisis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-09-18 06:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogsinthetardis/pseuds/dogsinthetardis
Summary: Rose tried to live out her life in the parallel world, just as she was supposed to. But the universe had other ideas, and it became apparent too late that she was a Time Lord. When gaps in the Void start opening, Rose knows it might be her only chance to make it back to the Doctor.A story of reunion and remembering lost love.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy here we go. I'm really excited for this fic, and I hope y'all like it.  
> I hope to continue it for a while!  
> God bless Emma for beta reading.  
> Thanks to everyone for reading!

Rose woke up in her bed in the middle of the night. It… was her bed, wasn’t it? It was familiar, but it didn’t feel like the bed she had gone to sleep in. And… there was a contenting electronic hum in the back of her head. This too was familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. 

She sat up, and reached for her lamp, almost knocking it off the table in the process. It was a few inches lower than what she was used to. When she pulled the chain, illuminating her room, it was all too well known. The hum in the background, the familiar-but-not surroundings… She was in her room, yes. But the one she had known when she was travelling with the Doctor an entire universe away.

Once this realization hit, she felt the world slipping away. She tried desperately to hold on, to focus herself on where she was, but the harder she tried, the further she flew. It was as though she was zooming out on a picture until the details all blurred together and she could no longer make out what was there. She closed her eyes and clutched the covers, trying to retain the sound of the TARDIS surrounding her, but that too was gone… 

When Rose awoke to her alarm for real, sunlight streaming through her bedroom window, she had tears stinging her eyes. She reached up to touch them in confusion. 

“Why am I… crying?” she half whispered to herself. And there was this odd bittersweet feeling of loss…

Oh yeah.

Her dream.

It was the third night in a row she had dreamed she was back in her bed in the TARDIS. It had felt so real, like she could touch it. Now, she could hardly remember her dream, left only with the sense that something important was missing from her.

As she got up and went to the kitchen, starting a morning cup of tea, she mused on the fact that there were several important things missing from her. The loss she felt most firmly was that of her Doctor- or John, as he had gone by in this world. It had been a bitter truth when they learned that while he was now human, she was now Time Lord.

It hadn’t been a quick realization, or an easy one. After a few years of pure bliss together, it became apparent that she wasn’t aging normally. Torchwood did a few tests, and found that she wasn’t human, not anymore. The best guess she, John, and all of Torchwood could make that when she became the Bad Wolf, she was fundamentally changed. She was a Time Lord- and after a few medical tests, it was found that she had grown a second heart.

They lived out the rest of his life together. But time wasn’t kind to humans. Rose had gained a new understanding for the Doctor when John died. By that time, her mum and dad had passed too, and she had never felt so alone.

Saying she was over it now was a naive statement made by somebody who had never felt loss. But she had learned, over the past- had it already been a decade?- to live with it. She had thrown herself into her work with Torchwood, which had been aimed at learning about the parallel worlds.

And that brought Rose to something more perplexing than her dreams. A few days ago, the Void had started showing strange activity on Torchwood’s readings. For nearly 75 years now, it had remained a stable entity. It was blocked, and though a part of her had always hoped to find a way through, it had been as unyielding as ever.

But now, gaps were starting to arise. The most surprising thing? They were stable. Already, the team at Torchwood had been attempting to establish which hole lead to different universes with mild degrees of success. The hope was that in as little time as a few weeks they might be able to safely traverse between these worlds without worry. To Torchwood this meant infinite possibilities in technological advances. To Rose, this meant the potential to return to her world- and her Doctor.  
Putting her empty mug in the sink, Rose started on a quick breakfast and prepared to leave. She imagined that work at Torchwood would be interesting today.

When Rose arrived, her assistant Grace fell in stride with her almost instantly. She gave Rose a barrage of information, speaking quicker than what Rose had previously thought possible.

“Ma’am-” Rose wished the people here would stop calling her that. Save the world once or twice and suddenly you were a “higher up.” It had been a losing battle for decades, and she had all but given up by now. Grace was continuing full swing. 

“-the tests from the past 24 hours have shown much fewer rates of gaps appearing, and they are appearing at a systematic and predictable rate. A function has been created that has, thus far, accurately provided the time and approximate location of each gap. Preliminary reports have found that-” She paused as the two women turned towards the elevators, presumably taking a moment to breathe.

“-have found that each gap is completely stable. As far as we can tell, they’re completely safe for travel. They seem almost intentional. These findings have lead the directors to believe that they are being created by some unknown entity. They want your insight, and you’re scheduled for a meeting with them in…” Grace paused to check her watch as they ascended the elevator. “15 minutes, so we should head there now.” she ended brightly.

“Brilliant,” said Rose, distracted. She couldn’t help but agree that it was intentional, but for what purpose, she didn’t know. After all, the Doctor had told her that it wasn’t possible to travel between universes without the Time Lords…

Rose and Grace arrived at the conference room, and took their seats, Rose at one end of the table and Grace adjacent to her around the corner. Beside her was the official director of Torchwood, a man named David Wilson. Rose had found him a strong leader over the years, made stronger by the fact that he was willing to listen and learn from her experience. “Good morning, Miss Tyler,” he said cordially. Rose nodded at him and greeted him in return, but it was clear her mind was elsewhere.

Finally, David called the meeting to order. “We all know why we’re here. These gaps are the strangest void activity since the incident with Canary Wharf nearly 80 years ago. We have yet to be able to determine a cause, and we were hoping that you, Miss Tyler,” at this he turned to Rose, “might be able to help provide some insight.”  
Rose didn’t shy away from the spotlight, her mind having been working on this problem for days. “Well, the Doctor told me years ago that it was only possible for travel between parallel worlds to occur when the Time Lords were in control. The best guess I have is that, somehow, the Time Lords in the Doctor’s universe are back, at least enough to support travel between worlds.” Her statement was met with processing stares. David was the first to respond.

“What does this mean for us, here? Will we have new threats to deal with from other worlds? And will we be able to travel ourselves?” Rose shrugged.

“I couldn’t tell you. I propose that I use a modified dimension cannon to go to the Doctor’s world. I… I want to find him. We can set up a communication link through the cannon so that I can report back, but if I find him, I think it’ll be time for me to retire.”

Discussion continued for some time, but in the end it was decided. Rose, as a Time Lord, was the best candidate for the job, and few were willing to volunteer to attempt a dangerous trans-universal journey. Plans were made to test safe travel between worlds, as well as to develop a way for Rose to use her TARDIS key to track the TARDIS.

Weeks passed in a blur, Rose preparing as best she could. She called her younger brother, Tony, and told him what she was planning. Assuming all went well, she would still be able to text, call, and visit for Christmas. She decided not to stress how much of an assumption that might be.  
She realized there wasn’t much to do. She owned her little flat, and Tony would be able to easily uphold costs on it. He had inherited the Tyler estate upon their parents’ passing; he had always had the same flare for business as their father. (Rose still thought of Pete as her father, anyway.) There would be no worry that it would be waiting for her as long as she needed it.

Rose was more than ready to find her Doctor.

It occurred to her that, likely as not, she wouldn’t find the Doctor she had traveled with. He might be in a completely different body. But Rose couldn’t bring herself to care. No matter what face the Doctor hid behind, it would still be the Doctor. And that was all that mattered.

Finally, after weeks of testing, the day came. Rose found herself strangely calm among the chaos of the last-minute preparations. The dimension cannon had been upgraded to pocket size and combined with a vortex manipulator. A slot was there for her key- it was, in theory, meant to take her to the safest time and place that it could track the TARDIS to without overlapping her own timeline. She would not run the risk of running into the Doctor before he had met her.

Rose hugged Grace goodbye- the girl was rather sad to see her go. She shook hands with David, and what seemed like a million other Torchwood employees. She would never admit it to them, but she wanted to leave.

She entered a secure room alone, watched through a bulletproof glass panel. The idea was that, in the unlikely event that something went wrong, nobody else would be hurt. Rose didn’t find this especially comforting, but she inserted her TARDIS key into the cannon nonetheless. She took a deep breath, the coordinates already entered. There was nothing left to do now but press enter.

One button push later, and Rose was gone.

Rose landed on a grassy hillside, reeling from the jump. Falling to her knees, she wasted no time in checking the reading on her dimension cannon- Earth, Sheffield, 2018. It was jarring, realizing that in comparison to her world she had traveled into the past. These results would automatically be sent to Torchwood, so she allowed herself a moment to breathe.

She flopped back onto the grass and realized that tears were streaming down her face. She was back! This was her world, the Doctor’s world, and she was going to find him.

Speaking of finding him, there was no point in waiting any longer. She pulled up a map view on the cannon. Now that she was in her own world, she could get a more accurate reading on the map.

There it was. A blinking blue dot, not too far from where she was. This should be where the TARDIS was. Where the Doctor was. She had half a mind to take off running towards the spot, but instead she punched a few buttons. No need to spend her time walking when she had cheap and nasty time travel on her side.  
For the second time after a jump, she fell to her knees, wobbly. Hopefully, she would never have to make a jump with the cannon again. She tucked it into her pocket and looked around. She was at an apartment complex, and…

There. TARDIS was tucked in a little alley. She couldn’t help herself, she started running. Rose wiped away tears once more as she came up next to the blue box and laid her hand on it.

The TARDIS vibrated slightly at her touch in recognition. A grin spread across Rose’s face.

“I missed you too,” she said softly, then laughed. “Look at me, talking to you. Must be a Time Lord thing.”

She took a deep breath and turned the handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can I'd really appreciate if you left a comment! I would love to hear feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha I've written so much of this fic already that I'm adding a bunch of chapters now.  
> Again may the holy light of heaven fall upon Emma for beta reading.  
> Please enjoy!

When she entered, it was reminiscent of when she found herself stepping into the TARDIS for the first time, so many years ago. Gone was the coral design she had travelled in. Instead, the interior was lit with a soft orange glow surrounding a central counsel that appeared much more numerous in the controls. She wandered over to it, absently trailing her hand across the buttons.

Except… Nobody home.

“Doctor?” she called out cautiously. No reply. She sighed, rounding the opposite edge of the counsel, when she heard the door creak.

“Tea at Yaz’s! Absolutely brilliant, gets me every time,” proclaimed a woman’s voice. Rose froze, watching as four people entered the room.

“We can always get you a tea shop,” replied another voice, a young woman. Rose assumed her to be Yaz. Behind them were two men, older and younger.

Yaz and the two men behind her stopped when they saw her. Rose frantically searched their faces for any sense of recognition- surely, the Doctor was here. Her gaze lingered on each, but none was quite right. She was sure she would know the Doctor when she saw him, but he couldn’t be here.

Her gaze rested on the woman in the long white coat, the one who had announced the brilliance of tea. She had been walking backwards as she entered the TARDIS, presumably having an animated discussion. At the others perplexed faces, she turned around.

Rose took in the woman before her. She had short blonde hair and awful fashion sense. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, in the moment she had to make judgement. But the second their gazes met, Rose knew who she was, who she had to be.

It took Rose a moment to process this. In all the times she had envisioned coming back to find the Doctor, it had never crossed her mind that he would be a she. Even though she hadn’t thought of it until now, Rose knew in an instant that she couldn’t care less. She hadn’t exactly considered whether she was straight or not in the past, but looking at the Doctor now, she realized that it didn’t matter. She was in love with the Doctor, no matter what.

The Doctor’s face first went completely blank. Rose watched her eyes, trying to find recognition there. She watched the woman’s face go from blank to confusion to pain in an instant. The Doctor stepped a bit closer, cautiously, as though holding herself back. Rose smiled at her nervously, unsure of what to say.

“Uhh…” started the younger man, interrupting. Rose's gaze flickered towards him. “Doctor, do you know her?” The Doctor only nodded, unable to speak. The three companions stepped forward, moving to support her. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she managed to croak out a single word.

“How?” she said, so softly that Rose could barely hear. Rose failed to hear the note of danger in her voice, and smiled slightly and shrugged.

“It’s a very long story, but I’m here now and that’s what’s-” The Doctor cut her off, and her expression settled on one emotion- anger.

“That’s not good enough,” she said, her eyes flashing. “The Rose Tyler I knew is locked away in a parallel world, and she  _ cannot _ be here, not without ripping two universes in half.” The Doctor’s voice had risen, but remained even. “She can’t be here and you can’t be her and whoever you are, you have 10 seconds to get the hell out of my TARDIS.”

The two women stared at each other. The Doctor was glaring, and Rose thought she could see the slightest bit of sorrow hidden beneath the guarded expression. Rose took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

“Doctor, please-” Rose began, but she was cut off by the woman, Yaz.

“The Doctor told you to leave,” she said, her voice cold. “If you know what's good for you, you're going to.” Rose hesitated, turning again to the Doctor.

“Just listen to me, I found a way back, Doctor, please!” Rose felt tears forming in her eyes.

“That’s completely impossible. Rose Tyler can't be here, not unless she was ready to rip apart two universes. The Rose Tyler I knew would sacrifice herself for the universe,” she said, anger entering her voice as she turned again towards Rose, “not the other way ‘round. So don't you  _ dare _ tell me you're her.” She was almost yelling now, a few feet from where Rose stood.

Rose felt tears streaming down her face and desperately she flung out her wrist.

“Doctor, please. Just… Take my pulse. Take my pulse, and then decide if you’re going to listen to me.” Confusion flickered across the Doctor’s face before she strode to Rose and pressed two fingers to her wrist, not taking her eyes off the other woman. Behind her followed the other three, who looked like they were prepared to fight Rose at the drop of a hat.

A few seconds later, she pulled back in shock. Her eyes met Rose’s, and Rose tried to communicate everything she was feeling to the woman across from her. The Doctor carefully pressed her hand to the left of Rose’s chest, feeling for a heartbeat. Rose suddenly found it difficult to breathe. After a moment, the Doctor switched her hand to the right.

“Two heartbeats,” she whispered quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

“Doctor, what’s going on?” asked Yaz.

“Yeah, d'you want me to chuck her out?” Ryan added. The Doctor shook her head, turning to the others and pulling them a but away.

“You alright, Doc?” asked Graham. “Whatever's going on, we want to help.”

The Doctor rubbed her forehead. “This woman has the appearance of someone that I used to travel with, a really, really long time ago. She got locked away in a parallel world and the Void closed. There's no way she could be here. But she has two hearts, like a Time Lord. At the very least, I've got to hear her out.” Yaz reached out and put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

“Whatever happens, we're here for you,” she said softly. Ryan nodded.

“Yeah, we're in this together.” The Doctor smiled.

“Thanks fam.” She paused, considering. “Yes, I do think that I like fam after all.” 

The Doctor turned back towards Rose.

“Right,” she said. “We’re going to find a place where we can all sit down,” she looked Rose in the eye, “and we’re going to talk.”

The Doctor started walking down the TARDIS halls, not waiting for the others to follow her. Rose glanced at the three people who had come in with the Doctor, and then strode after the Doctor. They followed quickly behind.

“D’you mind telling me what you're doing here?” asked the older of the two men. “The Doctor gave us the basics, but she seems… Well, she's not herself.” Rose matched her pace to his. The other two fell in beside them, listening.

“I… used to travel with the Doctor, a long time ago,” she began. “But something happened, and I got trapped in a parallel universe. Long story short, I found a way to get back. Stable gaps in the Void started opening.” She sighed, and looked up ahead at the Doctor, who she was sure was listening. “I just have to convince her,” she nodded towards the Doctor, “that it’s me.” The girl, Yaz, glanced between the two of them, then looked back to Rose.

“Were you two together?” she asked. Rose smiled at that.

“Well, when we were travelling together we… sort of danced around it, if I’m being perfectly honest. We loved each other, but we didn’t say it until we were too late. When I got trapped for good, he- the Doctor was a bloke back then- he left me with a human version of himself.” They quickened their pace to match the Doctor’s, who was rounding a corner a few feet ahead. “We got married, lived out a life together, but-” she broke off, thinking over her words for a moment. “He died, ten years ago.” The younger man beside her looked confused.

“Ten years? But you look-” Rose cut him off.

“I’m Time Lord now, like the Doctor. It’s a long story, and one that I’m sure you’re going to hear in a moment,” she said, indicating that this was all the information she was giving at the time.

“Alright, then,” he said, shrugging. They turned another corner, chasing the white coat ahead of them as she went through a door.

“So you three travel with the Doctor now?” Rose asked.

“We do,” replied the older man. “I’m Graham, by the way, and this is my grandson, Ryan, and his friend, Yaz.” Rose waved to the others. Graham looked as though he was about to say more, perhaps inform her just how the three of them got mixed up with the Doctor, but they had reached the doorway the Doctor had entered.

Rose knew the room instantly as the library. It looked almost the same as when she had travelled with the Doctor, though she suspected the bookshelves had expanded somewhat. The Doctor sat in an armchair by the fireplace, facing away from them. Her head was in her hands, and Rose wanted nothing more than to run to her. Instead, she took the armchair opposite the Doctor, leaving Yaz, Ryan, and Graham to take the couch.

The Doctor was sitting criss cross, and she studied Rose as she sat down. Her face had returned to its neutral mask, the one Rose remembered the Doctor hiding behind so often when they had travelled together. Rose took a deep breath and let it out.

“So…” she started, mentally congratulating herself on her eloquence. “What do you want to know?” The Doctor paused a moment, seemingly deciding what to ask first. She decided on the simplest of options.

“How are you here?” Rose forced herself to remain completely calm as she spoke.

“When I was in the parallel world with the metacrisis version of you, we began work at Torchwood. Recently, the sort of stable… gaps were opening in the Void.” Rose shifted in her seat. “We still don’t know where they came from. You told me that safe travel through the Void was only possible when the Time Lords were around-” Rose paused as the Doctor hit her head with her hand.

“Oh, stupid,  _ stupid _ Doctor!” she muttered to herself, running her hands down her face. She looked up at Rose, speaking rapidly. “The Time Lords, they were never really dead- it’s a very, very long story- and I didn’t even think- Gallifrey is in stasis, I didn’t even think the Void would restabilize- and of  _ course _ you figured it out, you figured out how to get here before- and how could I have been so  _ stupid? _ ”

“Wait, so the Time Lords are back?” she asked, taken aback. The Doctor nodded.

“Yes, yes but that’s not important right now, I’m getting distracted again,” she turned towards Yaz, “I do that rather a lot, don’t I?” Yaz nodded in bewilderment. In the span of a few moments, the Doctor's hostility dropped. “So you found a way through the void?” she said, turning again towards Rose.

“Yeah, we upgraded the dimension cannon and used my key to lock it onto the TARDIS’s signal,” she said, pulling it out of her pocket and tossing it to the Doctor. She pulled out her sonic and scanned it, then pulled the key out of the slot, examining it. Rose continued, “Once it brought me here, it wasn’t too hard to find you.” The Doctor looked back at her, and then turned to her companions on the couch.

“Would you lot mind if Rose and I had some time to chat?” she said, her implication clear- she wanted to speak with Rose alone. Yaz met the Doctor's eyes and raised her eyebrows knowingly. Ryan opened his mouth in protest.

“But we want to know-” Yaz elbowed him in the chest, then pulled him from the room, Graham following in amusement. Once they had left, Rose watched as the Doctor’s guarded expression finally fell.

“How long… How long has it been for you?” she asked, not meeting Rose’s eyes.

“It’s been 75 years since I last saw you,” she said softly. “The other you died, ten years ago. I’ve been working at Torchwood, like I said.”

“It’s been 75 years and you still look the same,” the Doctor said, shaking her head. Rose shrugged with a bittersweet smile.

“It took us a few years to figure out what was going on. Our best guess was, when I looked into the heart of the TARDIS, the vortex affected me similarly to when Time Lords look into the Untempered Schism. We were never exactly sure, but… Well, we knew what it would mean. We agreed to live out the rest of his life together.” The Doctor shifted, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Rose, I’m so so sorry, I had no idea that it would… That he would…” She stumbled over the words, unable to finish her sentence as she buried her head in her hands. Rose shook her head, standing and crossing to the Doctor. She knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I know, Doctor. It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m here now,” Rose said softly. The Doctor looked up at her, and smiled shakily. Rose stood and pulled the Doctor up with her, enveloping her in a hug.

It took a moment for the Doctor to respond, pulling Rose closer and burying her face in Rose’s shoulder. She choked back a sob, tightening a fist around Rose’s shirt as if to hold her there, ensure that she would never slip away again.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” the Doctor whispered.

“Me too.” A pause. “How long has it been?”

“A little over a thousand years.” Rose tightened her grip at that.

“Well, I think you have me beat, just by a bit,” she quipped, laughing as she realized tears were streaming down her face. The Doctor gave a small laugh, but then shook her head.

“No. I knew I would have to face this. You should never have had to. Rose, if I had known-”

“I know,” Rose replied, cutting her off. “It's not your fault.” The Doctor didn't respond. Rose loosened her grip, and the two stood apart. Somehow Rose found meeting the Doctor's gaze more intimate than it had been holding her close.

The Doctor pushed Rose's hair out of her face, letting her hand linger on her cheek. Rose scrambled to find words to break the silence.

“So, you have a new face then?”

“Yeah, yeah I do,” said the Doctor, latching onto something to talk about. “Two others, besides this one actually. First I had no eyebrows and then I made up for it, I was nothing but eyebrows, and now I'm a woman which is a little strange, but really, on the whole I could have done much worse I suppose…” she trailed off, seeing that Rose was smirking at her.

“I like it,” Rose said. The Doctor smiled.

“Right then,” she said, stepping back from Rose. Rose swallowed the tiny surge of disappointment that came at the loss. “I’m sure that the rest of the fam- I call them my fam now, it’s brilliant,” Rose rolled her eyes, “anyway, I’m sure that they’re rather confused and probably deserve an explanation.”

The Doctor took Rose by the hand and led her from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this!  
> If you did, please leave a comment and let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter I'm posting for today- I will update soon though!  
> I hope that Emma ascends to the highest realm of Heaven for beta reading.  
> Thanks for reading!

Rose and the Doctor found the rest of the crew in the console room. The three abruptly stopped talking at their entrance. Yaz was the first to break the silence.

“Is everything all right now?” she asked, glancing at the Doctor and Rose’s conjoined hands. Rose herself was very aware of precisely where her hand was and how it fit very nicely in the Doctor’s, but was very determinedly not bringing any attention to it.

“Yep, right as rain,” said the Doctor, grinning. Ryan crossed his arms.

“If it’s all fine now, would you mind telling us properly who she is?” he asked. Rose suspected that he was still annoyed at being thrown from the library.

The Doctor launched into a long winded explanation, Rose interjecting occasionally to fill in the gaps. Halfway through, she let go of Rose’s hand, talking animatedly with her own. Rose forced down the disappointment. After all, she still had no way of knowing if the Doctor still even thought of her that way. It had been 1000 years, and for all she knew, the Doctor was a completely different person now. Rose couldn’t allow herself to get trapped in assuming that everything could go back to the way it was when they travelled the stars together.

Rose shook herself out of her thoughts when she realized that the Doctor had finished the story. She carefully watched the other three’s expressions, and was pleased to find that they were smiling.

“Well, is she going to be coming with us, Doc?” asked Graham. The Doctor shrugged.

“That’s up to her,” she said carefully, looking at Rose. Rose met her eyes, seeing something unreadable there. It took her a moment to recognize it as hope. Rose smiled.

“I’d like to, if that’s alright with you lot,” she said, turning to the other three. “I’ve missed the adventures through time and space.”

“Of course it’s alright, it’s not our TARDIS,” said Yaz. The other two nodded in agreement.

“Welcome to the fam,” said Ryan. “And no, the name isn’t optional.”

“We’ve checked,” added Graham. Rose laughed.

“Fam is a brilliant name!” said the Doctor indignantly. “Right up there with the Beatles!”

“As long as nobody lets Ryan sing…” Yaz joked, smirking. Ryan glared at her good naturedly.

“Hey, my voice in grade school has nothing to do with how I sound now!”

Graham raised his eyebrows. “No, sorry mate, but I think she’s right,” Graham said. Ryan threw up his arms in disgust.

Rose laughed at the bickering (Ryan was now having choice words with Graham about his own singing voice) and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she was back within the bigger-on-the-inside walls of the TARDIS. It felt like she had finally come home.

An arm draped around her shoulders, and she turned to find the Doctor beside her. Rose slid her arm around the Doctor’s waist.

“Welcome back, Rose,” the Doctor said softly in her ear. 

“Now, where do you want to go next?” she said, a little louder, interrupting a three part harmony of Bohemian Rhapsody. Graham shrugged.

“Actually, I can’t speak for this lot, but I’m going to head to bed. ‘S been a long day,” he said, turning to leave.

“Yeah, I’m with him,” said Yaz. “We’re only human, Doctor,” she said, laughing.

“Ah. Right. Sleep,” said the Doctor. “Did you know that elephants only sleep for about two hours a night? Elephants, they’re really quite brilliant. Maybe we should go see some tomorrow, that’d be-” Ryan cut in.

“Goodnight, Doctor,” he said, following Yaz and Graham.

“Goodnight, Ryan,” she replied sheepishly. Rose suspected her mind was still on elephants.

Ryan’s footsteps receded down the TARDIS hallway, and Rose was left alone with the Doctor. “I’m not really tired,” she said, shrugging. The Doctor nodded.

“Time Lords don’t need nearly as much sleep as humans, we’re like elephants. Well. Not exactly like elephants, I usually sleep a little more than they do-  _ but _ we can go longer without sleep than they can. I once stayed awake for an entire month,” she paused, realising she was rambling. “You get the idea.” Rose nodded, smiling.

“The other you, in the parallel world, he helped me to get a handle on things. I could sense so much more about the world, and so he taught me how to use it,” Rose said.

“Were you happy together?” the Doctor asked quietly. Rose smiled a little and nodded.

“We were, for as long as we could be. We got married, worked for Torchwood, travelled the world and saved it a few times. It was a nice life. I can’t say I ever stopped missing the TARDIS,” Rose paused for just a moment, resisting the urge to add ‘and you,’ “-but we were happy,” she finished.

“I’m glad,” said the Doctor, fiddling with some dials on the counsel. A few moments later and Rose could feel that they were drifting through space. The Doctor turned back towards her.

“Well, as long as you’re not tired, d’you want to see something really cool?” Rose nodded, grinning. “Right. I’ve turned on an air shell around the TARDIS, about a ten foot radius. Just put this,” she passed Rose a small disk the size of a button, “in your pocket and follow me.” The Doctor led Rose to the TARDIS doors, flinging them open and making Rose jump back in alarm.

“Not to worry, air shell, remember?” said the Doctor, leaning out of the doorway. “That disk is a gravity link; the TARDIS can use it to pull you back if you get too close to the edge of the shell.” Rose could only watch in amusement as the Doctor started climbing outside the TARDIS by placing her hands and feet on either side of the doorway and inching her way up until she got a grip on the roof and her shoes disappeared.

“Well?” said the Doctor a second later, her head upside down in the doorway. “Aren’t you coming?” Rose nodded, laughing.

Rose went to the edge of the TARDIS and looked out for a moment. They were in the middle of deep space, filled with the  pinpricks of stars. Below, she could see a swirling galaxy of green and blue, the colors fading into one another in a blend that looked like the deep ocean. As she looked out at the expanse of the universe, there was no telling where it could end, the stars tiny havens in the inky blackness.

“'S beautiful,” she murmured, enraptured.

“Looks even better from up here,” said the Doctor, and Rose looked up to see the Doctor offering her a hand, grinning. She took it and copied the Doctor’s movements to scramble up onto the roof of the TARDIS.

The two sat side by side, their feet dangling over the edge, and watched the universe go by. The Doctor put her arm around Rose’s waist. Rose turned and met her gaze, a soft smile on her lips, before leaning her head on the Doctor’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing herself to live solely in this moment.

The Doctor pressed her lips to the top of Rose’s head, causing a smile to spread across Rose’s face.

“What’ve you been up to, 1000 years without me?” said Rose quietly.

“Oh, you know. Same old life. I met Vincent Van Gogh, he was brilliant. That was when I was travelling with the Ponds, Amelia and Rory. And then, I travelled with a girl named Clara. We met Robin Hood- did you know he was a real person? And I travelled with Bill Potts, she’s off in the universe with her girlfriend somewhere.” The Doctor smiled bittersweetly at the memories.

“Stayed with people, then?” asked Rose. She chose her words carefully, not wanting to remind the Doctor of everyone she had lost.

“More or less. There were times when I stayed alone. A few times, I thought I’d never go back to this.” She used her free hand to gesture at the wide expanse of space before them. “I could never stay alone for long. If I didn’t find somebody, the universe would send one my way.”

“Good,” said Rose softly. “And now you’ve got your own little posse,” she added, a small laugh in her voice.

“Yeah. Love them, they’re fantastic. Human beings, always manage to be wonderful.” Rose hummed in agreement.

They stayed like that for a long time, curled up in each other’s arms watching the stars go by. The universe was so calm, Rose thought. There was no indication of the monsters she’d faced. Surrounding the two was the perfect tranquility of all possible problems of the planets being millions of light years away.

“Rose?” asked the Doctor, her voice little more than a whisper.

“Yeah?” asked Rose, lifting her head slightly to look at the Doctor.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Rose smiled.

“So’m I.” She met the Doctor’s eyes and felt them boring into her. Feeling too exposed to hold her gaze, Rose looked down at the Doctor’s lips. Only no, this was so, so much worse, all she could think was how much she’d like to kiss her. Her gaze found the Doctor’s again, and she could see entire worlds within her hazel eyes.

Rose leaned in and her lips found the Doctor’s. The kiss was gentle and slow, and Rose could feel herself melting away. The Doctor’s other hand wrapped around her, pulling her close. Rose draped her arm around the Doctor’s shoulders, entwining her fingers into her hair. A few moments later (or perhaps it was several starlit hours, Rose wasn’t exactly sure) they broke apart.

The universe surrounding them lay forgotten. Rose found no need to watch the stars, not when she could find them in the Doctor’s eyes. Neither one seemed sure of what to say. Rose released the Doctor’s hair, letting her hand linger on her neck. “Rose, I…” the Doctor began, but she seemed to trip over her words. Rose smirked.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fluster you,” she said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“I- No, I’m not- I’m not  _ flustered _ !” the Doctor sputtered. Rose raised an eyebrow in response. The Doctor sighed and shook her head, laughing.

“Fine. Maybe a little,” she conceded. Rose laughed too, and leaned against the Doctor.

Rose wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, watching the stars, but she didn’t think it really mattered.

She could have stayed there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you're enjoying the fic!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok finally finished this chapter!  
> I'm really sorry for the puns.  
> (I'm not actually sorry.)  
> I'm too lazy to be overdramatic about it, but Emma is the best beta reader ever.

Rose and the Doctor finally climbed back in the TARDIS after they both began yawning, hands brushing against one another. Rose followed behind the Doctor, who went to the console and flicked a few buttons, then checked the readout. Rose attempted to read over her shoulder, though she couldn’t read the Gallifreyan text.

“Right,” she said, turning to Rose. “According to the TARDIS, your room is still here, it was just in the archives. I’ve asked her to move it a bit closer, but I’m not exactly sure where it’s ended up.” Rose grinned.

“Well, good to know the TARDIS is still the boss around here,” she said. “Will we be able to find it?” The Doctor shrugged.

“Yes. Probably.” Rose shot the Doctor a skeptical look. “Oh, we’ll find it,” said the Doctor reassuringly. “She couldn’t have put it too far.”

The Doctor, as it turned out, was not an accurate judge of what the TARDIS could or could not do. Half an hour of searching later, they had passed the swimming pool twice with no hope of finding Rose’s room.

“At this rate,” said Rose, glaring at the swimming pool as they passed it for the third time, “I’m ready to just kip in the library. Is she moving the halls around on purpose?” The Doctor groaned in frustration.

“Oh, she would, just to prove me wrong,” she said, running her hands through her hair. “Look, I’m sorry,” she called to the TARDIS. “But can you  _ please _ put Rose’s room in a convenient location? I would very much like to get to bed.” They rounded the next corner and, lo and behold, was Rose’s door.

The two sighed in relief. “There we are,” said the Doctor, turning to face Rose. “TARDIS just wanted an apology.” She glanced down the hall. “My room’s just down there, so let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“Alright.” Rose leaned over, kissing the Doctor’s cheek. “Night, Doctor,” she said softly. “See you in the morning.”

The Doctor smiled. “Night, Rose,” she said, turning to her room.

The next morning, Rose awoke to soft light generated by the TARDIS. Much better than any morning sunlight, she thought. She pulled herself out of bed and wandered down the hall in search of the rest of the TARDIS crew- and hopefully some breakfast.

Luckily, she found the kitchen fairly quickly. She went in to find the other four travellers already there. Yaz and Graham sat at the table, eating toast. Ryan was manning the stove, scrambling eggs. Rose barely registered this, however, as she was rather distracted by the Doctor sitting on the kitchen counter in pajamas.

“Mornin’ Rose,” said the Doctor, sipping from a mug. Rose bit her bottom lip.

“Good morning,” she said, walking over to the toaster. The Doctor drained her mug and clapped her hands together.

“Alright, fam’s all here! Where d’you want to go today? Any requests?” The Doctor’s gaze flitted across the room. Ryan shrugged, beginning to dish up eggs for everyone. Yaz passed him her plate.

“No preferences here,” she said. “Just try not to get us blown up, alright?” Graham shook his head. The Doctor turned to Rose.

“I don’t have any place in mind,” she said, shrugging. “Just… somewhere exciting.”

“Oh, we don’t have to look for excitement. It’s everywhere,” said the Doctor.

“Seems to come looking for us half the time,” muttered Ryan. “Eggs, Rose?” he asked, offering her the pan. She nodded gratefully.

“Yeah, thanks,” she said. The Doctor wrinkled her nose.

“Nothing against you, Ryan, but why scrambled eggs? They taste like rubber,” she grumbled. Rose laughed.

“Now that’s,” said Ryan, brandishing the spatula at her, “where you’re wrong. You just haven’t had the proper egg-cheese ratio.” The Doctor stuck out her tongue.

“But there are so many better ways to eat eggs! You can fry them, poach them, boil them- anything! And you choose to turn them to a wiggly, lumpy mess!” She glared at the others, who were all laughing at her. “And you lot, you’re not much better, eating this rubbish! I’ve had better eggs from Tadaxose, and  _ that _ ,” she raised her finger to make a point, “is saying something!”

“What, are they known for awful cooking?” asked Yaz, bemused.

“Yes!” said the Doctor emphatically. “I will  _ never _ understand humans.”

“No, I think it’s just a you thing,” said Rose, taking a bite of the scrambled eggs. The Doctor groaned.

“You’re fighting a losing battle, Doc,” said Graham. “These are delicious.” The Doctor jumped off the counter and made for the door.

“I’m going to go get dressed,” she humphed. “I’ll meet all you  _ scrambled egg eaters _ ,” she made eye contact with each of them, “in the console room.”

A few minutes later, the Doctor danced around the TARDIS console, flicking levers and buttons. Rose, who had just entered, smirked as the Doctor shoved a biscuit in her mouth.

“Okay, fam,” said the Doctor, grinning. “I know just where we're going to go. There's this planet,” she lunged for a lever, “covered entirely in vines. It's a…” she paused, grinning, “plant-et!” The Doctor was met with a series of groans. “I've  _ planet-ed _ to go here for ages, never got around to it.” Graham buried his face in his hands. “I plant wait to see what it's like,” the Doctor said. Rose put her hands on the Doctor's shoulders.

“Doctor,” she said calmly. “Stop.”

“Oh, Rose, don't be a... vine-r,” said the Doctor. Rose groaned in disgust.

“Oh, that one was just awful,” said Yaz.

“They all were,” muttered Ryan.

The Doctor pushed a few buttons, then stood back from the console.

“Right, we've…  _ planded _ ,” she said, dodging Rose's attempt to grab her shoulders again. “Let's go exploring!” The Doctor darted out the TARDIS doors, followed closely behind by her disgruntled companions.

Rose took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the alien world. Her feet wobbled as she walked and she looked down to see that she was standing on what looked like a net of vines, woven tightly together. The interlocking plants spread as far as the eye could see. A good distance away, Rose thought she could see the vines rising up like a forest. The soft green of the vines contrasted with a clear lavender sky, a single sun high overhead. Rose grinned. She was certain that as long as she lived (and that was shaping up to be quite a long time), she would never get used to the adrenaline of stepping on to a different planet.

The Doctor was bouncing on the vines a few feet away, a grin across her face. Yaz, Graham, and Ryan filed out of the TARDIS, and Graham sniffed the air.

“Doesn't smell like plants,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “More like… Motor oil.” The Doctor sighed, exasperated.

“Well, they don't smell like Earth plants, maybe! But the universe doesn't exist to confirm to your expectations! This planet doesn't care what a human thinks plants should smell like! Open your mind, Graham!”

“Come on, Gramps,” said Ryan, walking further on to the vines. “Plants that smell like oil, 's not the weirdest thing we've seen.”

“Alright, but I still don't like it,” he muttered. They walked over to where Yaz and Rose had already joined the Doctor, who was now on her hands and knees with her ear pressed to the vines.

“Uhm, Doctor,” started Ryan. “What are y-” the Doctor cut him off, shushing him. He exchanged a glance with Yaz, who shrugged, equally confused.

A few moments later the Doctor sat up. “Does anybody else hear that?” she asked, her eyes still on the vines. “I think-” she pressed her ear back to the vines, “I think they're moving.” Rose furrowed her brow and bent down next to the Doctor, laying her hand on the vines.

“What d'you mean?” she asked. The Doctor wrinkled her nose.

“There's the tiniest of vibrations, coming from right,” she grabbed Rose's hand, making Rose's breath hitch, and placed it where her ear had been moments before, “here.”

“Oh yeah…” Rose said quietly, shifting her hand around. “Oh, that's really strange. Guys, come feel this,” she said, gesturing to the rest of the team. Or fam, she supposed.

“It’s so weird,” muttered Yaz. “It's like it's humming.” The Doctor grinned.

“This is brilliant, they must be moving! I wonder how they do it…” she stood up, suddenly, making the rest of the group jump back in alarm. “I reckon we should go find more vinebrating vines!” She grinned at the mixed reactions of annoyance and disgust. “Thought of that one on the spot.” 

She dashed off, leaving the others to follow in her wake. Rose almost laughed out loud at her, bouncing around like an overexcited puppy. One thousand years later, and she was still the same Doctor.

The Doctor paused for a moment several yards away and crouched down. “I found another one!” she called, pressing her hand to the spot. “You lot, start searching! There’s something going on here and it’s terribly exciting, come on!” 

Rose jogged after the Doctor, pausing as her foot landed on a vibrating patch. “There’s one over here!” she yelled out, but the others were already busy walking along the vines in search of vibrations. She paused to watch the others for a moment, a smile playing on her lips.

Rose heard a slight rumble, and looked up. Suddenly she was almost knocked off her feet by a huge vibration that tore through the plants. The vines seemed to wave in quick succession, sending out ripples of aftershocks. Steadying herself, she saw that Graham and Ryan had both been bowled over.

“What was that?” called out Graham, pushing himself up.

“Dunno,” called the Doctor, bending down to press a hand to the vines. “But I don’t like it.”

Again, Rose heard the rumble, and this time she was ready for the ripple. Just as before, it moved like a wave, coming towards her steadily. She braced herself, and managed to keep her feet.

“It’s coming from over there,” called Yaz, pointing towards the forest of vines. Rose and Yaz exchanged a look and started running for it. With any luck, they could reach it before another ripple came. They were the closest, but a glimpse behind her told Rose that the Doctor, Ryan, and Graham weren’t too far behind.

As they approached, Rose could see a wriggling mass of vines, almost 30 feet across. Where the vines she ran across were tightly woven, these were loose and squirming. Rose was forcibly reminded of the time in grade school when Charlie Cooper chased her with a handful of worms. She paused next to Yaz next to the writhing pit.

“That doesn’t look good,” Rose said, grimacing. Yaz looked like she was about to respond, but she was cut off by the same rumbling from before. The two were knocked off their feet as the vines underneath them seemed to liquify, shifting around like the vines behind them.

Unlike the vines that were appropriately woven, these did not support their weight. Rose and Yaz began to sink rapidly.

“Doctor!” Rose called desperately, but she realized there was no way that the Doctor could reach her and Yaz without being caught in the vines herself; they were surrounded. She and Yaz looked at each other, panicked.

“Rose! Yaz!” called the Doctor, from the edge of the writhing mass. The two had already sunk to their waists. The Doctor pulled out her sonic, and attempted to use it on the vines- whether to scan them or stop them more directly, Rose wasn’t sure. Regardless of intent, the sonic sparked out.

“Oh, I can’t get a reading,” said the Doctor, smacking the sonic with her hand. “It’s too bloody organic, the sonic doesn’t like it!” By this time, Rose and Yaz had sunk to their shoulders. Yaz tried to push herself up with the vines to no avail. Rose suddenly realized she could feel air on her legs.

“Doctor, I think there’s a… Cavern, or something underneath here!” she called out. “Just get the TARDIS and go there, we’ll be fine,” she said, adding “I hope,” under her breath. The Doctor shoved the sonic angrily into her pocket.

“Alright, we’ll meet you down there,” she called out, a note of panic in her voice. She looked like she was about to call out something else, but before she could, Rose and Yaz disappeared beneath the surface of the vines.

As soon as their heads had sunk, the vines solidified. The Doctor glared at them.

“Oh, so  _ now _ you’re solid, that’s just  _ brilliant _ ,” she said angrily. Ryan put his hand on the Doctor’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go get the TARDIS and get them out of there,” he said reassuringly. The Doctor nodded.

The three of them turned around, just in time to watch the TARDIS be pulled below by the vines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, please don't be mad at me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY got this finished! Pinky promise I'm not abandoning the fic 😂  
> I pray to all that is holy in the know universe that Emma might transcend this physical world and join with the gods of old for beta reading.

Whatever the precise opposite of calm was, it described the Doctor perfectly. She ran to where the TARDIS had been, just in time to see one last wriggling vine tuck itself into the weave. She let out a yell of frustration.

“First my friends, then my TARDIS,” she paced the vines, her hands running through her hair. “Plan, plan, plan, I need a plan!” She stomped her foot. “Oh, I can't  _ focus _ !”

Ryan and Graham caught up to the Doctor, out of breath, only to see her run off again. “Come  _ on _ ,” she called behind her, running back to where Rose and Yaz disappeared. Ryan and Graham looked at each other and sighed before following her.

The Doctor was pressed against the vines, trying to yell through them. She paused and pressed her ear to the vines. Ryan and Graham were panting by the time they arrived. “No, no, no!” The Doctor sat up in defeat. It seemed that the vines had muffled her attempts to reach the two companions they had pulled beneath. “Vines should  _ not _ act like this.” She stared down at them. “What do they want with Rose and Yaz?”

“Whatever these vines are doing, we'll figure it out and find them, Doc, don't worry,” said Graham attempting to reassure her. The Doctor nodded.

“Right,” she said, laying her hands across the vines. “These vines are still vibrating, which means that they're still moving. If they're moving,” she pulled out her sonic, “I can track them to the source. This can't move the vines, but it can-” she paused to fiddle with it, “track the vibrations!” She looked up, grinning, as the sonic let out a beep.

Ryan offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. “There we are then. Find the source-” the Doctor jumped in.

“And we either find our friends, or find a way to them.” She aimed the sonic at the vines. “I have a plan!” She spin around until the sonic began to beep rhythmically. “This way, fam! Time to stop these vines!”

 

Rose landed hard in the dark with a heavy thud. Half a second later, she heard the second thud of Yaz landing next to her. “Ow…” she muttered, pushing herself up. She was kneeling in a few inches of water.

“Yaz?” she called out. “You there?”

“Yeah,” replied a voice to Rose's right. Rose began sloshing carefully towards her, reaching out with her hand until she found Yaz.

“You alright?” Rose asked.

“Yeah, I think I just scraped my knee,” she muttered. “This is like the bloody devil's snare in Harry Potter…”

Rose stood, almost blindly reaching for Yaz in the dark to pull her to her feet.

“Let's get out of the water. If we just sit tight for a minute, the Doctor will be here and we can get dry and figure out what's going on with these vines,” Rose said, attempting to sound a lot more sure than she felt.

Linking arms, they began feeling their way through the water. A few moments later, they hit a wall of rock. Rose reached up it, and when she stood on her tiptoes she hit the edge of a vine.

She blinked heavily, trying to get her eyes used to the dark. It wasn't absolute; a tiny amount of light filtered through the vines that formed the ceiling of the tunnel.

“This is taking too long,” Rose said, looking towards Yaz. “They should've been here by now.”

“Do you think something's wrong?” asked Yaz, who answered her own question a moment to later. “Knowing us, probably.”

Despite the bleak situation, Rose laughed. “10 quid says the Doctor manages to get herself sucked through the vines.” Yaz laughed too.

“You're on,” she said. “Though, knowing her, I don't like my odds.”

Rose grinned. “You're alright, Yaz.” She began feeling along the edge of the walls. “We should try to find a way out of here, and something tells me the way we came in isn't an option. This has to lead somewhere, right?”

“Let’s hope so,” Yaz replied.

As their eyes adjusted to the limited light, more of the cavern they were in came to view. Little patches of light filtered through the vines, reflecting on the water. Here and there, vines trailed down into the water. The cavern was only 20 feet or so across, sloping up at the edges. The widest point of the ceiling was 10 feet at the most. At one end, a tunnel led deeper underground. Unlike the natural appearance of the cavern, the tunnel had neat edges. It seemed out of place among the vines.

“That seems promising,” muttered Yaz, and the two set off towards it.

 

Atop the vines, the Doctor, Ryan, and Graham were following the sonic's radar-like beeps. They were slowly approaching the forest of vines, which was looking less scenic and much more ominous. The Doctor paused for a moment, bending down and resting her hand on the vines. She could feel a steady pulse coming from them.

“Are we getting close?” asked Graham. The Doctor shrugged.

“I think so,” she said, watching the vines. “Hard to say. But I have a hunch that whatever's going on here, the answer,” she pointed at the forest with the sonic, “is in there.” She jumped up and continued to follow the sonic’s beeps.

“I was afraid you were gonna say that,” muttered Ryan. The Doctor grinned.

“Oh, I love a dark, mysterious forest. Think of all the possibilities!”

“That's what I'm afraid of,” replied Ryan. The Doctor sighed in exasperation.

Graham interrupted. “How do you think the vines are moving, Doc?” The Doctor shrugged, scrunching up her face in annoyance.

“I don’t know, and I really don’t like it.” She stopped for a second, waving the sonic around. “If this thing,” she whacked the sonic with the flat of her palm, causing it to emit sparks, “would  _ scan _ them, I could get more information! But for all I know now, they’re rapidly growing and killing cells to make the vines shift around!” The Doctor groaned in frustration.

The three had traveled for only a few more minutes when Ryan broke the silence. “Is that vine moving?” The Doctor snapped to attention, turning first to Ryan, and then to the wiggling vine. She dashed towards it, leaving Graham and Ryan behind. Seizing the vine with both hands, the Doctor yanked as hard as she could. It was small enough that one hand could wrap around it, but it didn’t yield to her attempts to pull it up.

“Ryan, Graham, help!” she called as the vine wriggled to get away from her. Ryan was the first to reach her, and he wrapped his hand around the small vine as well. The Doctor twisted her sonic as quickly as she could one handed and aimed it at the vine, causing more sparks.

“Come on, come on…” she muttered, then “YES!” as she and Ryan pulled up the piece of vine. Brown liquid spilled out over the Doctor's hand.

She held it up to eye level. The vine had gone completely dead. She poked it gingerly with the sonic, then pushed it away when sparks flew.

“That's not right…” she muttered. “OH!” she yelled, making Graham jump back in surprise. “Graham, what was the thing you said?” she asked, snapping. “The… the thing!” Graham looked at her in confusion.

“What thing?” The Doctor groaned in frustration.

“The thing, about the smell of the vines…” she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to remember herself.

“That they smell like motor oil…?” said Graham, confused. “But I don’t see why-”

“MOTOR OIL!” The Doctor yelled. “Oh, I’m so slow today! No wonder the sonic wasn’t working! I was trying to use it on  _ plants _ .” She waved the piece of vine at Graham and Ryan. “And these,” she carefully tugged at the end of the vine, producing wires, “are  _ not _ plants.”

Ryan bent down to examine the piece of vine, then looked out at the expanse of the same vines that they were standing on. “What are they, then?”

 

Rose and Yaz walked through the dark tunnel. It was just wide enough for the two to walk side by side, arms linked so that they didn’t lose one another in the darkness. Rose trailed her hand along the rocky side of the tunnel, which was slightly damp. There were, as far as they could tell, no vines within the walls of the tunnel; another sign that the tunnel wasn’t natural. The air was getting cooler, and was rich with the scent of earth. 

“Where do you think this leads?” asked Yaz quietly.

“I don’t know…” said Rose. “This whole thing seems wrong.” 

“Yeah,” Yaz replied. “There’s something… off about these vines.”

Rose tripped in the dark over a small outcropping of rock, and fumbled for the wall to steady herself. Yaz helped her to regain her balance.

“The sooner we can get out of here, the better,” muttered Rose, glaring in the direction of the rock.

“Come on,” said Yaz, “I think that’s light up ahead.” Rose looked up and saw that Yaz was right, a faint glow was coming from the tunnel ahead. The two approached the end of the tunnel cautiously. As they drew near, the inside of a room became clear. They pressed up against the edge of the tunnel and peeked in.

This room, too, was carved from the rock. The vines that formed the ceiling were loosely woven, allowing light to filter through. This lit the room with an eerie pale light, casting shadows from every corner. The vines- much thicker than the ones Rose and Yaz had faced earlier- wriggled constantly, repositioning themselves over and over again. They all seemed to stem from thick vines that sprung up from the ground, creating a sort of canopy. It looked like the thick vines extended far above the ground. Rose wondered if they made up the forest they had seen from a distance aboveground. In the center of the room were three humanoid figures. They each sat at some sort of a control panel. Rose didn’t recognize the race as any alien she had encountered; they had pale skin that was slightly blue in color, and looked to be a little less than five feet tall.

And there, wrapped in vines, was the TARDIS. Rose had half a mind to run to it then and there, but she doubted she would be able to get in. One of the aliens was running some sort of scanner over the blue box. The TARDIS made an annoyed beeping. Rose grabbed Yaz's arm, pulling her back into the Rocky corridor.

They needed a plan.

 

Back on the surface, the Doctor was crouching over the piece of vine she and Ryan had ripped out. She turned to answer Ryan's question, speaking rapidly.

“These vines are actually a technology from the 46th century. See, there's a flexible metal casing with wires running through it,” she said, peeling back the greenery to reveal the metal underneath. “The vines create energy through photosynthesis, but instead of using it to grow, the energy is collected up by the wire casing.” She paused for a moment, considering the vine. “They must run some sort of oil through these- that's why they smell funny. I've seen them with water- they move with hydraulics, see. But this must be a new version… Maybe it's to keep them cool? Well, we'll find whoever designed these and ask them!”

Ryan looked at the vines surrounding them. “So this entire planet is one giant… solar powered battery?”

“Exactly! 5 points to Ryan!” Graham raised an eyebrow.

“But you said… Doc, isn't this entire planet is covered in these vines? Who would need that much power?” The Doctor jumped to her feet.

“And that,” she said, gesturing with the sonic, “is the question of the day.” The sonic produced a helpful beep. “Let's go find out.”

The three followed the beepings of the sonic. As they walked, the vines grew thicker, more like interlocking tree trunks. The Doctor jumped from vine to vine, preferring this to clambering over each one. Her coat billowed out behind her as she leaped.

They drew near the forest of vines, approaching slowly as the vines of the forest floor were squirming around. The stalks scraped the sky, the vines of the ground protruding from them. The Doctor paused at the edge of the vines, considering them. The vines weren’t nearly as tightly woven as they had been when they had all landed here on this damned planet, but they weren’t quite loose enough that she could see through to the bottom. The Doctor glanced back at Ryan and Graham, who joined her on the precipice of the vines.

“Whatever’s down there, it’s got Rose and Yaz,” said the Doctor darkly. The three considered the wriggling mass.

“Guess that only leaves us one option then,” said Ryan. The Doctor nodded.

“Right. On three?” The Doctor grinned. Ryan thought that she seemed rather too excited at the prospect of jumping into a strange pit without having any clue what was down there. She didn’t give them time to respond.

“One.” 

“Two.” 

“Three!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting the gays back together. Next chapter is gonna be sometime after Christmas.  
> Thank you for reading!!! All comments and feedback are appreciated!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the gays back together and then make them angst : )  
> It has been so long since I updated this, so apologies!!! To be clear: I do fully intend to continue this story to its end! I will probably be unable to upload chapters as frequently as I'd like because I'm busy with college, but I'll try to update as frequently as I can.  
> May Emma, the greatest of beta readers, many eons from now, die the most peaceful of deaths, surrounded by many loved ones and followers who sob their woes as she passes, and her soul ascends directly to the highest heaven.

Rose and Yaz had just turned to retreat down the tunnel when a suspicious thump resounded down the corridor, echoing past them. They paused, exchanging a glance in the low light.

“D'you reckon-” began Rose.

“Probably,” Yaz finished for her, the pair spinning around. They spun around just in time to see the Doctor peeling herself up off the ground, Ryan and Graham just behind her, as the vines closed the gap above them.

“Pay me later,” said Rose, laughing, before running out to meet the Doctor.

The Doctor’s face lit up when she saw Rose rushing towards her. Rose threw her arms around the Doctor, pulling her into a tight hug. The Doctor’s fist clutched her shirt protectively.

“I was worried about you,” said the Doctor softly.

“Nah, don’t worry ‘bout me.” She pulled away slightly, only to turn and see the three blue aliens had raised guns against them.

“RUN,” the Doctor yelled, grabbing Rose’s arm. Ryan and Graham had reunited with Yaz at the mouth of the tunnel, and they ducked in quickly. Rose and the Doctor followed, Rose’s feet pounding with every gasping breath. Behind them came rapid blasts of weapons, making Rose duck her head under her arm for cover. She felt a sharp, searing pain in her arm, and bit her lip to keep from screaming. She pushed herself forward, feeling tears form in response to the pain. The pair flew into the tunnel, panting as they pushed forward.

A second later, the gunfire stopped. “Should we be worried about that?” asked Graham, peering past the Doctor down the corridor. The Doctor didn’t have time to answer before the entrance to the tunnel collapsed.

Rose fell against the side of the tunnel, choking back a sob. The Doctor looked down, finally noticing that Rose had been hit. Rage flitted across her face, just for a moment, before being replaced by sheer determination.

“Go investigate the collapse,” she said sharply to Yaz, Ryan, and Graham as she knelt down next to Rose. “ _ Carefully, _ ” she enunciated, her sonic already buzzing over Rose’s wound. Not wanting to question the fire in the Doctor’s eyes and voice, the three retreated down the tunnel.

Rose’s face was contorted with pain, her breathing coming heavily. The Doctor’s brow furrowed as she examined the wound. Just below Rose’s shoulder, the weapon had left an ugly burn an inch wide across her skin, cutting in to leave an angry red mark.

“Okay, okay,” said the Doctor in a panicky voice. “I can numb it, give me a second…” The Doctor aimed her sonic at Rose’s wound and a moment later Rose let out a deep breath as the pain eased to a sharp but manageable ache.

“Thanks,” Rose muttered, looking down towards her shoulder. She winced when she saw the burn, turning away from it. Her breaths came forcibly slow and even as she attempted to remain calm, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“Right,” said the Doctor softly, her face hardening. “I’m going to fix this.”

The Doctor’s hands began to glow with a soft golden light, making Rose’s eyes widen with fear. Surely, she wasn’t about to regenerate?

“Doctor, wait-” Rose was cut off by the Doctor gently pressing her hands to Rose’s arm across the wide burn. A shudder went down her back as she felt the energy flow through her, felt what she could only describe as her wound reversing in time. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder, and then it was gone, leaving behind only the tingling memory, a shadow cast upon her arm.

The Doctor’s palms stopped glowing. Rose stared at them for a moment, before looking up into the Doctor’s eyes. She was met with a desperate, frantic expression.

“What… what did you do?” asked Rose, quietly. A note of tension entered her voice.

“Nothing, nothing, I just used some regeneration energy, fixed you right up then, it’s fine, you’re okay…” the Doctor spoke breathily, and Rose wasn’t sure who she was trying to reassure.

The Doctor helped Rose to her feet, awkwardly attempting to brush the dust off of her. Rose toyed with the hole in her blue hoodie where the laser had hit her, frowning.

“Let’s… Let’s catch up with the other’s,” she murmured. Rose wasn’t sure what the Doctor had done, but the look in the Doctor’s eye worried her more than anything else. She seemed willing to do anything, regardless of the cost or consequences, just to make sure Rose was safe.

The Doctor took Rose’s hand, jerking Rose away from her thoughts, and they walked back down the tunnel in silence. Their footfalls echoed around the cavern walls and Rose felt the Doctor’s hand squeeze her own reassuringly.

Rose tried to believe in the safety promised by the hand in hers.

Yaz was the first to meet them as they approached the trio, who were on their return trip.

“You alright then?” she said to Rose, who nodded. Yaz glanced down to her shoulder, her eyes widening, but before she could mention it, Rose interrupted.

“What’s it like down there?” Rose gestured towards the end of the tunnel as Graham and Ryan approached, stopping next to Yaz. Yaz made a face.

“There’s no way we’re getting through there, it looks like it was rigged to collapse. Maybe this was an escape tunnel?” The Doctor nodded.

“It could have been designed to form a barricade if it was passed through in this direction, prevent you from being followed,” she said, leaning against the wall to face the team. “Right.” Her gaze danced between each member of the team before landing on Rose and lingering there and meeting the other woman's eyes. In the second between one heart's beat and its pair's response, the Doctor silently asked Rose to pretend, for right now, that the Doctor hadn't just done something radical to heal her, that there wasn't any problem, and that they could continue as if everything was fine. With a short nod, Rose agreed, her face providing a promise.  _ For now _ .

“I have a plan,” the Doctor continued, swallowing. “I want you all to stay safe. The best way to do that is to get out of here. I,” she nodded down the tunnel, “can deal with them.”

Graham raised his eyebrows. “And how do you expect to do that, what with the tunnel being collapsed? It's solid rock, you're not getting through!” The Doctor grinned.

“Well, passage like this, it's meant for escaping! Which means,” the Doctor pressed her sonic to the wall, “there's bound to be a way to get back to your home base. If I'm right- and I usually am, have you met me?- then there should be one somewhere along here…” She began walking away from the collapsed end of the tunnel, keeping her sonic on the wall. Only a few seconds later, a door swung open.

“Aha!” she exclaimed. “Right. Yaz, Rose, I want you to lead Ryan and Graham back to where you fell down here. I'll pick you up in the TARDIS in a jiffy.” The Doctor had barely finished talking when Rose spoke up.

“Like hell are you leaving me here.” She stepped into the side tunnel defiantly. The Doctor sighed.

“Rose, I need you to stay safe…” she started, pleading. Rose crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing into a determined glare.

“Do you think I can't handle it? Yaz can get Graham and Ryan out of here just fine by herself, but I owe these people a visit!” She nodded at her arm, flesh visible through the wide hole. “I've changed a lot in the last  _ eight  _ decades, and I'm not the same girl you left in the other universe!” Rose threw her arms wide, resisting the urge to stamp her foot like the child she refused to remain. “You need to figure out that I'm perfectly capable of handling myself.” She locked eyes with the Doctor, her gaze burning with the intensity of her very being. The Doctor stepped back slightly, but met Rose's eyes.

“I  _ never _ thought you weren't capable of anything,” she said softly, her voice frighteningly calm. “Yaz, take Graham and Ryan down the tunnel. I need to speak with Rose.” The Doctor didn't look away as she said this.

“But I want to-” Ryan began, before Yaz grabbed his arm and marched him forcefully down the tunnel. Graham pressed a gentle hand to the Doctor's arm, concern etched in his face, before thinking better of saying anything and quickly following Yaz and Ryan.

The Doctor and Rose stared at each other for a long moment before the Doctor broke the silence.

“I never… I never believed you weren't capable of  _ anything _ ,” she repeated, her voice only just above a whisper. “I just- I need you to be safe.” She paused, swallowing to fight the breaks on her voice. “I cant… I can't lose you again.” She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, her powerful exterior receding to reveal the woman residing beneath.

Rose uncrossed her arms and took a deep breath before settling down beside the Doctor. “Hey,” she said softly, putting her hand on the side of the Doctor’s face. “I know you’re gonna worry about me. And I can’t promise I’ll always be safe.” The Doctor rested her hand on Rose’s arm over the hole in her sweatshirt. “But you have to trust me. I can make my own decisions, and I can decide what I risk for myself. This is my life, and I’m going to live it.” The Doctor swallowed, a soft smile playing on her lips as Rose rubbed her thumb gently across her cheek.

“I know,” she said, taking a shuddering breath. “I know. And I trust you, I  _ do _ , and I know you can handle yourself, and I know that you’re an incredible person, and I know my fears are sometimes irrational, and I _ promise _ I know that.

“But Rose… It's been one thousand years. I have lost  _ so _ much. There are so many people who I have known and loved and who can never come back. And now,” the Doctor paused to find her voice again, tears welling up in her eyes. “And now I have one person back and I just want to hold on and never let go. I know it isn't an excuse. I just need you to see it. To see what you mean to me.”

Rose slid her other arm around the Doctor. “So hold me as close as you can,” she murmured. “Just promise that I can stay by your side. Hold me tight and don't let go, not ever. I'll be right beside you.” Rose's forehead was nearly touching the Doctor's, her own breath lacing together with the other's.

“Okay,” the Doctor whispered, glancing down and then back up to Rose's eyes.

Rose kissed the Doctor soft and sweet and slow and everything a kiss should be, her hand wrestling with the other woman's hair, the Doctor's arm snaking up Rose's back. The Doctor was every starlit night spent staring up and wondering what was out there, and Rose was the bright day filled with sun-kissed cheeks and laughter.

Together, they fit like the sunset bridging the gap from day to night, shining with vivid hues and light brighter than either could be on their own.

“Okay,” Rose whispered, helping the Doctor to her feet as she broke the kiss. “Let's go kick some alien ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh boyyyyy!  
> Please leave a comment, they honestly give me life to read.


End file.
